fi 247 
fl7 C6 



^"^ ^ JNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BULLETIN 

vol. XX, No. 2 General Series No. 151 

Published monthly by the Regents of the Univetsity of Colorado. 
Entered at the Post Office, Boulder, Colorado, as second-class mail matter. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

OF 

ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLORADO 
A SURVEY 




Boulder, Colorado, February. 1920. 



'rta^-^'f^ 



The Public Schools 



OF 



Archuleta County, Colorado 



A SURVEY 



BY 

FRANK L. CLAPP 

Professor of School Administration 
The University of Colorado, Boulder 

Assisted by 

ALICE G. NOLAND 

Superintendent of Schools, Archuleta County, Colorado 

AND 

GEORGE WHEATLEY 

Superintendent of Public Schools, Pagosa Springs, Colorado 



FEBRUARY, 1920 



Introduction 



The field work for the survey was done early in June, 1919. 
This was as early as the rural schools could be reached by automo- 
bile. At this time only about half of the schools were in session. 
With the exception of two all of those in session were visited. 

The purpose of the survey was simply to set forth conditions 
as they were found in the schools with the idea that the more the 
people know about their schools the more interested they are in 
doing all they can for better schools. The report was prepared for 
the people in the county and is not intended as a scientific study in 
any sense. 

Mrs. Noland and Mr. Wheatley were of the greatest service in 
gathering data and making possible visits to the schools, but the 
entire report is the work of the writer and he alone should be held 
responsible for the imperfections of judgment to be found herein. 

While conditions in the schools of the county are far from ideal, 
the brave people who are struggling to found homes there in a new 
and rough country have no need to be discouraged. They do need 
to make sure that the difficulties of and consequent interest in the 
material things of their lives do not blind them to the vital import- 
ance of good schools for their children. 

It is hoped that this report will be examined with care, and that 
just as far as possible its suggestions will be followed, at least in 
spirit. It is not necessary to argue the value of a good education 
for children with the peopi^e in Archuleta County. If the report 
succeeds in creating a little keener interest in good schools, and an 
even greater willingness on the part of the people to support their 
schools than has obtained in the past, then its mission will have 
been fulfilled. 

It is with this faith and with the best interests of the lathers 
and mothers and the boys and girls in Archuleta County in mind 
that the survey has been conducted. 

FRANK L. CLAPP, 

January 1, 1920. 



General Description 



Archuleta County is located to the west of the center of Colo- 
rado on the border line of New Mexico. Its average leng-th. east 
and west, is approximately forty-five miles, while its width is near 
thirty miles. It lies immediately south of the continental divide and 
is covered by a portion of the San Juan range of the Rocky Moun- 
tains. 

Being near the divide no streams of any considerable size are 
found in the county and the valleys are extremely narrow. On the 
whole, even by comparison with most of the counties in the moun- 
tainous section of the state, the surface is unusually rough and 
broken. 

The principal industries are cattle and sheep raising, agricul- 
ture, and lumbering. There is but one village in the county, Pagosa 
Springs, which is the county seat, with a population of about one 
thousand. 

A narrow-gauge section of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, 
running from Alamosa to Durango, passes through the southern 
part of the county. A branch leaves this line at Pagosa Junction 
and runs to Pagosa Springs. 

The people in the county are practically all Americans with a 
few Spanish-Americans. The latter live for the most part in com- 
munities by themselves. 

In many of the districts of the county it is impossible to hold 
school except during the summer months on account of the difficulty 
of travel. Largely because of this fact, but in part because of the 
small amount of assessable property, many of the districts are un- 
able to maintain school beyond the minimum term required by law. 
During the year 1917-18* one district held school for eleven months, 
two for nine months, five for eight months, one for seven months, 
one for six and three-fourths months, seven for six months, one for 
five and three-fourths months, and one for four months. 

For the support and administration of schools the county is 
divided into twenty districts, the size and bounding lines of which 
are determined by various factors, but chiefly by the topographical 
features, such as mountain ranges, streams, etc. (See map on fol- 
lowing page.) 

*It is necessary to use the figures for 1917-18, since at the time of the 
survey, June, 1919, several schools had just opened for the summer term. 
These figures are advantageous, since 1917-18 is the last year for v^^hich com- 
parative data are available in the report of the State Superintendent. 



6 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 

Each district is of the third class except Number One, which is 
of the second.* The school, or schools, in each district is under the 
control of a board of directors of. three members elected by the 
voters in the district. This board directly or indirectly determines 
the amount of tax to be levied each year for school purposes, selects 
the teacher, and has general charge of the school. 

The schools of the county as a whole are under the general 
supervision of a county superintendent who is elected for a two- 
year term. 

Only one high school is maintained in the county. This is in 
District Number One, at Pagosa Springs. The schools at this vil- 
lage, employing nine teachers, are in charge of a superintendent. 

CENSUS, ENROLLMENT, AND ATTENDANCE. 

Schools are maintained in order that children may be educated. 
It is to the interest of parents and of children themselves that -the 
latter be reasonably intelligent. It is also to the interest of the 
state and the nation that children be educated. The constitutions 
of most of our states declare that democratic government depends 
for its success upon the intelligence of its citizens and for this rea- 
son free schools are maintained. 

The mere maintenance of schools, however, does not insure the 
training of children. Children must attend school and must, attend 
long enough so that their own welfare and the safety of the state 
may be assured through their education. To this end districts are 
compelled in Colorado to maintain schools at least six months in 
the year, and all children between the ages of eight and sixteen are 
obliged to attend the full term unless excused for proper reasons. 

Colorado has a permanent school fund, the income from which 
is distributed among the school districts of the state according to 
the number of persons between the ages of six and twenty-one. In 
February of each year a census is taken, under the direction of the 
local school board, and this number is ascertained in order that the 
state superintendent may know how to distribute the state's money, 
and also in order that the proper authorities may know how many 
children should be in school. It is evident that this census should be 
taken with care, since both the interests of the local school district 
and of the state depend to a certain extent upon its accuracy. 

The teacher in each school keeps a record of each pupil who 
enters school, no matter for how short or how long a time he stays. 
The total number that enter school during a year is known as the 
enrollment for that year. Obviously the enrollment should be a 
certain percentage of the school population (persons between six 

* Under the law a school district is of the third class if it has a school 
population (children between six and twenty-one years of age) of less than 
350; it is of the second class if the school population is more than 350 but 
less than 1,000; and of the first class if the school population is more than 
1,000. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 7 

and twenty-one), and it should include practically all children be- 
tween eight and fourteen. (The usual age limits for work in the 
elementary schools.) 

Each teacher also reports the "average daily attendance" for 
the year. This is found by dividing the total number of days school 
was attended by all those enrolled by the number of days school 
was held. If every child who was enrolled attended every day the 
"average daily attendance" would be the same as the number en- 
rolled and would be 100 per cent, of the number enrolled. 

The following table shows the facts concerning the above items 
for the year 1917-18: 

TABLE I 
Census, Enrollment, and Attendance.* 



5 

4-1 
O 

u. 

o 

£ 


SB 


oi ^- 

Hi'-' 

C O 
(D m 

li 


1) <D 


Percentage whi( 
average daily 
attendance is ol 
enrollment 


a; 


CDS 
Ooo 


"So 

ill 

O'>0 K 


1 


467 


382 


205 


54 


361 


257 


104 


2 


42 


42 


23 


55 


21 


22 





3 


39 


41 


15 


37 


32 


18 


14 


4 


20 


16 


13.6 


85 


11 


10 


1 


5 


22 


12 


9.7 


81 


16 


4 


12 


6 


15 


9 


5 


55 


7 


9 





7 


124 


73 


'32 


44 


64 


45 


19 


8 


78 


43 


20.1 


53 


60 


23 


37 


9 


67 


7 


6 


86 


35 


4 


31 


10 


56 


57 


35 


61 


38 


56 





11 


10 


10 


8.2 


82 


5 


10 





12 


18 


27 


14 


52 


14 


16 





13 


40 


32 


10 


31 


33 


18 


15 


14 


45 


29 


15.2 


52 


23 


14 


9 


15 


1 


10 


5 


50 





6 





16 


11 


21 


20 


95 


5 


15 





17 


11 


11 


4 


36 


5 


10 





18 


10 


13 


9 


69 


5 


7 





19 (N 


ot org; 


anized at 


this time) 










25 


39 
1,115 


77 


63.3 


82 


14 


64 





Total, 


912 


513.1 


56 


749 


608 


232 



*From report of County Superintendent, September, 1918. The figures 
in the last column are not taken from the report, but are the differences 
between the two preceding columns. The superintendent's report, made up 
from the reports of the district secretaries, shows a total of only thirty-three 
children between eight and fourteen not in school. 



8 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 

Some of the figures in the above table may be compared with 
similar figures in other counties of the state.* There are sixty-three 
counties in Colorado. Eighteen of these have a smaller school pop- 
ulation than Archuleta County. 

As stated before, a certain percentage of these children should 
be in school. Each county reports to the State Superintendent the 
percentage which the average daily attendance is of the number of 
children between six and twenty-one. The median percentage of 
all the counties is fifty-six. That for Archuleta County is forty-six 
per cent. Only nine counties have a lower percentage than Archu- 
leta. The lowest percentage in the state is twenty-seven, and the 
highest is seventy-nine. 

Those who enroll should attend school regularly. For all the 
counties the median percentage which the average daily attendance 
is of the number enrolled is sixty-five ; the lowest is thirty-one, and 
the highest is eighty-one. For Archuleta County the percentage is 
fifty-six. Only five counties are lower. 

The law requires that children between the ages of eight and 
sixteen attend school imless excused for reasons stated in the law. 
Since many pupils finish the elementary school by the time they 
are fourteen and are then excused from further attendance, the State 
Superintendent calls for reports concerning those children between 
eight and fourteen. 

Table I indicates that in 1917-18 there Avere 749 such children 
in the county. Of these 2.32 were not enrolled in school according 
to reports from the various districts (see footnote, page 7). While 
these were not reported by the various districts as not enrolled, if 
we subtract the number reported in school from the total number 
indicated in the census (columns 6 and 7 in Table I), we find that 
there are 232 children not accounted for. Some districts report a 
larger number in school than the census shows. This is not im- 
possible, since the census is taken in February and many children 
may move into a district later in the school year. Some of these 
232 may have moved out of the county, but it is inconceivable that 
all of them did so. Possibly no school was maintained within reach 
of some, and there may have been inaccuracies in some of the re- 
ports, but the education of these children is too important to excuse 
negligence or carelessness in connection therewith. 

After due allowance is made for the difficulty of maintaining 
and attending school in the various districts, the fact stands out 
that many children^far too many — must have been without school- 
ing during the year. 

The law provides that in each district there shall be a "truant" 
officer whose duty shall be to see that children of school age attend 
school, but no truant officer is reported for any district in the county. 

In her efiforts to secure the establishment of schools and a high 
average of attendance the County Superintendent should have the 
hearty support of the people in the county. 

*As given in tlie report of the State Superintendent. November 30, 1918. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY. COLO. 9 

FINANCE. 

There are no fixed standards in connection with the cost of 
schools. By far the larger part of the support of the schools in 
Colorado comes from the taxes paid by the people in the various 
districts. Some idea of the support accorded the schools in Archu- 
leta County may be gained by comparing certain figures for the 
county with those for other counties and the state as a whole.* as 
was done in the previous section. 

The average amount spent in the county per month for instruc- 
tion for each pupil, based upon the average dailv attendance for 
1917-18, was $7.28. The average for the state \vas $11.82. The 
lowest in any county was $3.45, and the highest was $52.56. Eleven 
counties spent less per child than did Archuleta, while forty-four 
spent more.** 

The rate of tax levied in the different districts in 1918-19 varied 
from 0.8 of a mill to 7.3 mills, exclusive of levies for interest on and 
redemption of bonds. The median rate for the county was 2.6 
mills. In 1917-18 the levies were practically the same. Table II. 
on page 10, shows the levies in the different districts. 

According to a studyf made in the early part of 1919, the 
median tax levy for districts of the third class (all the districts in 
the county except Number One are third class districts) over the 
entire state was 6.94 and for districts of the second class 7.5 mills. 

Comparing the levies over the county with the medians above 
makes it evident that the people in the county have been slow to 
levy heavy taxes for schools. Practically all the levies could be 
doubled without making an unusual showing. 

In incorporated villages, such as Pagosa Springs, there is usu- 
allv as much tax levied for school purposes as for all other purposes 
combined, but in the Pagosa Springs district the levy for schools 
is 2.2 mills, while for other purposes it is 10.8 mills. 

*From report of the State Superintendent, November 30, 1918. 
**This item is not given for seven counties. 

tClapp, Frank L., and Tope, R. E., School Salaries in Colorado, Bulletin 
No. 136, University of Colorado. 



10 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 

TABLE II 

Assessed Valuation, Tax Levies, and Teachers' Salaries, 1918-19. 

District Valuation Tax Levy Teachers' Salaries 

1 $1,809,608.00 2.2 $75.00, $75.00, $80.00. 

$80,00, $80.00, $85.00, 
$90.00, $166.75 

2 428.021.00 1.96 $80.00- 

3 101,933.00 3.5 80.00 

4 125,460.00 4.9 75.00 

5.. 157,657.00 2.4 65.00 

6 185,096.00 2.3 75.00 

7 253.354.00 2.3 75.00 

8 373,946.00 0.8 75.00 

9 319,789.00 1.9 70.00 

10 329,839.00 5.0 $125.00, $75.00 

11 95,710.00 3.0 75.00 

12.... 67,202.00 6.5 • 75.00 

13 130,019.00 2.6 75.00 

14 61,942.00 7.0 70.00 

15 45,611.00 1.5 -72.50 

16 156,910.00 2.7 75.00 

17 44,663.00 7.3 60.00 

18 41.130.00 7.0 60.00 

19 .. 95.00 

25 194,714.00 3.0 $90.00. $100.00 



An examination of the salaries paid the teachers as given in 
the foregoing table, reveals that the median salary for the third 
class districts is $75.00. In District Number One the median sal- 
ary for grade teachers is $80.00, and for high school teachers, not 
including the superintendent, is $90.00. In 1918-19* the median 
salary for the state of elementary teachers in third-class districts 
was $78.23; in other districts $85.00; and for high school teachers 
it was $100.00. 

All over the county teachers' salaries are below the average 
for the state. Not only is the median low, but there are no high 
salaries paid in any school. 



*Clapp, FVank L., and Tope, R. E., School Salaries in Colorado, Bulletin 
No. 136, University of Colorado. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY. COLO. 11 

BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT. 

Many of the school l)uildings are poorly built and in poor con- 
dition. A few are well built and well kept. Some districts are erect- 
ing new buildings that are plain but neat and comfortable. The 
cut on page 12 shows a group of typical buildings in the rural dis- 
tricts. 

There is no question of play space in the rural districts, but it 
was extremely unfortunate that in Pagosa Springs the building was 
located where the play space is limited. When a new building is 
erected it should be placed where some five or more acres of ground 
are available for play purposes. 

In the rural districts more careful attention should be given 
to' toilets. There should be separate toilets for boys and girls, and 
they should be provided with closed vaults in all cases. The moral, 
as well as the sanitary, significance of decent toilets is too serious 
to permit of negligence in this connection. 

No school was found which was provided with sweeping com- 
pounds or scrubbing utensils. These should be provided in all cases 
and the rooms kept neat and clean. 

Where teachers change frequently there is little likelihood of 
suitable instructional apparatus being provided. It takes some time 
to get such apparatus and the teacher often feels that her brief ten- 
ure does not justify her in demanding much in the way of apparatus. 
Boards of directors should follow the suggestion of the County 
Superintendent in providing the school with such common helps in 
instruction as suitable charts, globes, maps, books, primary appa- 
ratus, etc. 

In practically all of the rural schools common drinking cups 
were provided. At the present time, when there are laws in nearly 
every state forbidding the use of common drinking cups, it would 
seem that our rural schools could easily arrange some other con- 
venience. Each child could provide himself with a cup and these 
could be kept in a dust-proof case provided for that purpose. In 
most of the schools the water is carried from a distance and kept 
in the school room. In only one school was the water kept in a 
closed receptacle. Such receptacles are inexpensive and convenient 
and should be placed in every school. 

In the purchase of seats and desks in the future only those 
which are adjustable should be selected. This will make it possible 
for each pupil to have a seat and desk suited to his size. At present 
there are no adjustable desks or seats in any of the schools and 
many pupils are obliged to sit and work in positions that will surely 
lead to injurious habits of posture. 

Naturally where conditions are new and rough little or no at- 
tention has been paid to aesthetic features, but even where nature 
is so wonderfully beautiful, tastefully decorated walls in school- 
rooms, together with a few well-selected pictures, are of material 



12 



UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 










jrt 




THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY. COLO. 



13 



aid in cultivating in the minds of children a love for those things 
which make for good. Here, again, directors should be guided 
largely by the suggestions of the County Superintendent. 

In consideration of the limited play space in the Pagosa Springs 
school there should be provided a number of pieces of play appa- 
ratus in addition to those already in use. 



PROGRAMS OF STUDY AND RECITATIONS. 

The following is typical of the programs found in the rural 
schools : 

Daily Program- 



Subjects 


Grade 


Reading 


1 


" 


2 


" 


5 and 6 


Arithmetic 


8 


" 


6 


"■ 


5 


Number 


2 


(I 


1 


Geography 


5, 6, and 8 


History 


8 


Grammar 


8 


"' 


6 


" 


5 


Civil Government 8 


Physiology 


8 


" 


5 and 6 


Spelling 


5, 6, and 8 


" 


9 



•Rural School. 




Length of 


No. of 


Recitation 


Recitations 


in Minutes 


per Week 


15 


10 


15 


10 


15 


5 


20 


5 


15 


5 


15 


5 


15 


5 


10 


5 


20 


5 


20 


5 


15 


5 


15 


5 


15 


5 


15 


5 


15 


5 


15 


5 


15 


5 


10 


5 



In this school the teacher has five grades. The average daily 
attendance for the year was nineteen. She has eighteen recitations 
a day and the time for each recitation, with four exceptions, is 
fifteen minutes. 

It is interesting and suggestive to see what such a program 
means in several connections. 

(1) Thirty minutes each day are devoted to reading in the 
first and second grades and fifteen minutes in the fifth and sixth 
grades. Presumably, if the third and fourth grades were included, 
fifteen minutes would be .given to reading in each. This would 
mean a total of 340 hours in the six years of a pupil's life devoted 
to the study of reading, counting eight months in a school year. 
This represents sixty-two days of five and one-half hours each, or 
a trifle more than three school months, in which the child is sup- 



14 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 

posed to master reading — pronunciation, word-meaning, expression, 
understanding, etc. Is it to be wondered at if the pupils' ability 
to read is limited? To be sure, the pupils "study" reading outside 
of the recitation period, but just how much they can do of value 
without the help and direction of a teacher is questionable. 

(2) No music, art, manual exercises, or home economics ap- 
pear in the program. How much the pupils are missing in connec- 
tion with such subjects can scarcely be estimated. Those subjects 
do not appear in the program of any of the rural schools. 

(3) Geography and history are taught only in the eighth grade 
while in most schools these subjects appear much earlier. 

(4) In reality the very short class periods are shorter than re- 
ported since considerable time must be taken up in changing 
classes, getting material ready, etc. 

The above program may be contrasted with that for the third 
and fourth grade rooms in Pagosa Springs, below : 

Daily Program — A Room in Pagosa Springs School, 









Length of 


No. of 








Recitation 


Recitations 


Subjects 


( 


^rade 


in Minutes 


per Week 


Opening Exercises 


All 


10 


5 


Reading 




4 


20 


5 


Arithmetic 




4 


25 


5 


Arithmetic 




3 


25 


5 


English 




4 


20 


5 


English 




3 


20 


5 


Spelling- 




4 


20 


5 


Spelling 




3 


15 


5 


Geography 




4 


20 


5 


Geography 




3 


20 


5 


Penmanship 


3 


and 4 


35 


5 


Drawing 


3 


and 4 


20 


5 


Letter Writing 


3 


and 4 


20 


5 


Music 


3 


and 4 


35 


5 



In this program no recitation period is shorter than twenty 
minutes with one exception and we find drawing and music being 
taught. 

The differences in the two programs probably illustrates the 
fundamental reasons for the far better showing made by the Pagosa 
Springs pupils in connection with the standard tests (pages 17-20). 
The situation in Pagosa Springs is not as favorable as where a 
teacher has a single grade, and the comparatively scattered work 
of teachers there doubtless accounts in part for the showing made 
by the pupils. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 15 

HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION. 

As stated before, there is but one high school in the county — 
the one at Pagosa Springs. The school is a four-year school offer- 
ing courses in the academic subjects only and employing three 
teachers, one of whom is the superintendent. The enrollment is 
about forty. A beginning has been made looking toward the or- 
ganization of a junior high school, departmental instruction being 
the plan in some of the seventh- and eighth-grade work, and these 
pupils being generally recognized as a part of the high school stu- 
dent body. 

The school is supported by District Number One. The ques- 
tion of the organization of a county high school has been raised. 
This would mean that the school would be supported by the entire 
county and pupils from any place in the county could attend with- 
out the payment of a tuition fee. While this would materially in- 
crease the funds of the school, the wisdom of such course would 
depend upon the number of pupils who would attend from over the 
county. The difficulty of travel would necessitate that most of 
them board in Pagosa Springs. How many parents would be will- 
ing for their children to do this would be a fundamental question. 

At present District Number One enjoys a great advantage over 
the remaining districts of the county in that it receives most of the 
taxes paid by the only railroad in the county. Yet this railroad and 
Pagosa Springs as a village depend largely upon the outlying dis- 
tricts in the county for their support. As long as this is true it 
would seem that District Number One can well afford to maintain 
the high school and to admit pupils from the remaining districts at 
a very nominal tuition fee at most. 

In line with the general tendency there is some demand for in- 
struction of a vocational character in the high school. The relative 
value of a vocational and cultural education is too broad a subject 
to be discussed in this connection. However, it should be pointed 
out that instruction in so-called vocational subjects has only a cul- 
tural value for many pupils since they never use in a practical way 
the information the}^ gain. This is likely to be especially true in a 
small school, since only a few vocational subjects can be taught, 
and of those who pursue such subjects only a few follow the par- 
ticular lines of work taught. The teaching of vocational subjects is 
expensive since elaborate equipment is needed and teachers of these 
subjects are usually paid larger salaries than teachers of academic 
subjects. 

While the above is true, yet vocational instruction is valuable, 
and it is suggested that after provision is made for a thoroughly 
well-equipped general school supplied with adequately trained 
teachers, vocational instruction be added as the resources of the 
district permit. 

One thing the district should avoid and that is changing from 
an emphasis upon one kind of subjects to an emphasis upon the 



16 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 

Other whenever a change is made in the superintendency or in the 
personnel of the board. 

TEACHERS AND PUPILS. 

In 1917-18, among the thirty grade teachers in the county, 
there was but one who had finished a college course, and four who 
had finished a two-year normal school course. Several had gone no 
farther than the completion of a high school course, and a few had 
not gone beyond the eighth grade. In 1918-19 there was some im- 
provement, but most of the teachers were still poorly qualified. 

Just so far as possible the various school boards should employ 
no teacher with less than two years of normal school training for 
work in the grades. In the junior and senior high schools at Pagosa 
Springs teachers with four-year college courses should be selected. 

The above statements are made with due regard to the diffi- 
culty of securing properly qualified teachers in a new and isolated 
country. Teachers who are well trained find it easy to secure posi- 
tions where travel is less difficult and where the distance to a city 
is not so great. This means, however, that the people in the county 
must put forth every effort to secure and keep teachers who are 
well trained. They must pay good salaries, even salaries above 
those paid in other sections of the state, and they must strive to 
make things as pleasant for their teachers as they possibly can. 
This may be done in large part by seeing that teachers secure good 
boarding and rooming places and by treating them as real members 
of the community. In addition, those young people who live in 
the county and are planning to teach should be encouraged to at- 
tend normal school or college before beginning, and those teachers 
who are now employed and who are without adequate training 
should be encouraged and urged to attend school during vacations. 
No successful teacher, however, should be dismissed simply because 
of a lack of training. 

In 1917-18, of the thirty-three teachers in the county, twenty- 
six were teaching their first year in the district where they were 
etnployed. This means that practically all the teachers were new 
to their schools. So far as teachers had been selected at the time 
of the survey about the same thing was true in 1918-19. No school 
can do its best work when teachers are changed each year. Spe- 
cial inducements should be made to keep teachers from year to 
year. No district can afford to allow a good teacher to leave when 
an additional ten or fifteen dollars per month will induce her to 
stay. 

A child usually finishes the first grade before he is eight years 
of age, the second before he is nine, the third before he is ten, and 
so on. Since this is true school authorities have agreed that a pupil 
shall be classed as "retarded" if he is in the first grade and over 
eight years of age, in the second grade and over nine, or in the third 
grade and over ten, etc. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 17 

Not all pupils can keep up with their grade. Some must be 
absent from school on account of sickness, while some do not have 
the ability to go as fast as their fellow pupils, and hence drop be- 
hind. Wide investigation has established the fact that about twenty 
per cent, of the pupils will be found to be retarded in any school 
where conditions are average and where reasonable effort is made 
to keep the pupils in school and up in their work. Where a larger 
percentage than this are retarded it usually means that children are 
not in school as regularly or as much as they should be. 

As near as could be ascertained at the time of the survey thirty 
per cent, of the pupils in the schools then in session were retarded. 
This is not surprising, since, outside of Pagosa Springs, it is diffi- 
cult for pupils to attend school regularly for a full term. 

However, since pupils who are retarded are old for their grade, 
they are very liable to drop out of school before they get very far 
and' thus go through life with poor preparation. For this reason 
the people in the county should make every effort to maintain 
school for a full term (nine months) during the year, and to see 
that pupils attend regularly if this is at all possible. The low per- 
centage of attendance discussed on page 8 doubtless accounts in 
large part for the large percentage of retardation in the county. 
The percentage for the various districts cannot be given since data 
were not available for those schools not in session at the time of the 
survey. 

STANDARD TESTS. 

During the last few years there have been developed a number 
of "standard school tests". These tests consist of exercises (prob- 
• lems or questions usually) in the various subjects such as reading, 
arithmetic, etc. The tests are standardized by giving them in a 
large number of schools and determining a "median" or "average" 
showing for the different grades. For example, Clapp's Test for 
Correct English has been given in about one hundred schools, and 
it has been found that an average eighth grade makes seventy-nine 
and five-tenths per cent', an average seventh grade seventy-six per 
cent, a sixth grade seventy-one and one-tenth per cent, and a fifth 
grade sixty-six and four-tenths per cent. The showing made in 
any school can be compared with these averages and some idea 
gained as to whether or not the pupils are able to do standard work. 
It should be added that all standard tests are scored in exactly the 
same way, no matter where they are given. 

In the schools that were visited tests were given in reading, 
arithmetic, English, and spelling. 

The test used in reading is known as Monroe's Standardized 
Silent Reading Test and consists of a number of short paragraphs 
with a question or some direction following it. The pupil does as 
many of these exercises as he can in five minutes and is graded on 
the number he reads and on the number he does correctly. The 



18 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 

following is one of the exercises for the third, fourth, and fifth 
grades. 

5. "The cabin of Uncle Tom was a small log building close 
adjoining to 'the house' as the negro designated his master's dwell- 
ing." 

".Of what material was Uncle Tom's cabin built?" 

(Ans.) 

Two tests were used in arithmetic, Courtis' test for speed and 
accuracy in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and 
Clapp's test of ability to solve concrete problems. The following 
extracts show the character of these tests : 

Courtis' Tests. 

Addition Subtraction 

339 * 102142649 

276 70428369 

977 

861 

757 Multiplication 

698 9237 

269 27 

132 

322 
Division 



26)7306 

Then follow a large number of similar problems and the pupil 
does all he can, b'eing allowed eight minutes for addition, four for 
subtraction, six for multiplication, and eight for division. 

Clapp's Tests. 

1. Mr. Rook had 43 hogs and bought 24 more. How many 
had he then? 

25. A man sells 18 cattle, averaging 1,000 pounds in weight, 
at $9.50 per hundred pounds. How much did he receive for them? 

The problems increase in difficulty from the first one, as given 
above, to the twenty-fifth. 

In English Clapp's Test for Correct English was used. This 
test involves capitalization, punctuation, verb and noun forms, sen- 
tence structure, etc. 

In spelling the words were taken from Ayres' list of the one 
thousand words in most common use in written communication. 

All the papers were graded under the personal supervision of 
those in charge of the survey. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 19 

The tests were limited to the upper four grades since in those 
grades the product of all the work of .the schools should appear. 

To properly understand the results of these tests one must keep 
in mind that the tests have been given in a large number of schools, 
among which are some of the best ones in the United States, and 
perhaps some of the poorest ones. The comparison is made with 
the average of all the schools that have used the tests. 

The results might be given in various ways, but the one which 
seems the most simple has been chosen. This method is as fol- 
lows : The median or average of all schools is regarded as the 
"standard", and the percentages given in Table III show whether 
or not the schools reached this mark. If the percentage is as much 
as 100 it means that the pupils did as well as average, but if it is 
less than 100 we are to understand that the work*was not average. 
Likewise, in those cases where the percentage is greater than 100 the 
work was above average. All the rural schools are combined, while 
Pagosa Springs schools are shown separately since conditions are 
different in the two cases. 

TABLE III 

The Results of Tests — Shown in Percentages of the Standards 

Reading — Monroe's Test. 

-Rural Schools Pagosa Springs- 



Grade Speed Comprehension Speed Comprehension 

5 56 49 67 53 

6 72 74 58 66 

7 65 60 87 79 

8 97 86 85 100 

English — Clapp's Test. 

5 68 87 

6 80 96 

7 71 109 

8 100 107 

Spelling — Ayres' Test. 

5 72 78 

6 75 86 

7 64 90 

8 87 94 

Arithmetic — Clapp's Test. 

5 40 83 

6 77 100 

7 70 91 

8 82 94 



20 



UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 



Arithmetic — Courtis' Tests. 





Sub- 


Mul- 






Sub- 


Mul- 




Addi- 


trac- 


tipli- 


Divi- 


Addi- 


trac- 


tipli- 


Divi- 


Grade tion 


tion 


cation 


sion 


tion 


tion 


cation 


sion 


5 30 


50 


40 


15 


75 


74 


65 


52 


6 18 


95 


50 


96 


28 


88 


72 


91 


7 44 


71 


75 


92 


50 


75 


80 


88 


8 65 


85 


84 


82 


80 


90 


85 


97 



Average of all percentages 
for Rural Schools. 68. 



Average of all percentages 
for Pagosa Springs, 80. 



Plate I- 5howin9 how near the schools reach the 
standard for an average school. (Based on tables.) 



Standard 




Rural Schools 



Pagosa Springs 



Reading. English Spelling Arithmetic Arithmetic Average 
Monroe'5"Ic6t Clapp'sTe^t Ayrci'Test Clapp'^Te^t Courtis' Test All Tests 
Showing how the schools compare with schools in general — 
Based on Table III. 

The people in Archuleta County are struggling with conditions 
in a new country. Many of them are just getting started with their 
homes and business. They are earnest and ready to undergo the 
hardships and inconveniences of pioneer life. They are not particu- 
larly concerned with fine, pretentious school buildings, or with 
elaborate furniture and apparatus, or with a flattering financial 
showing in connection with their schools, but they are concerned 
with their children. Children may learn when buildings are poor 
and equipment meager and comparatively little money is put into 
schools. If they learn under such conditions without injuring their 
health these things matter but little. 

Table III, however, shows, in a manner that cannot be ques- 
tioned, that the children in the county cannot do average work in 
the fundamental subjects. The showing in Pagosa Springs is bad, 
but for the rural schools it is worse. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ARCHULETA COUNTY, COLO. 21 

It should be said at this point that the present teachers are 
not responsible in any large measure for the quality of work done 
by the pupils. The tests were given in the upper grades, and the 
foundation for what the pupils know about reading, arithmetic, etc., 
was laid before many of the present teachers saw any of the pupils. 

It is the judgment of those in charge of the survey that the 
showing is due to the short terms of school, irregular attendance, 
the employing of inadequately trained teachers, and the frequent 
change of teachers. 

We do not mean to blame the people for these conditions. We 
know full well the difficulties with which schools have been con- 
ducted and good teachers employed and retained. Yet we believe 
that the fathers and mothers want to know the truth about their 
schools, and that when they do know the truth they will put forth 
even greater efiforts than they have in the past to give their chil- 
dren the best training possible. 

The teacher is the most important factor in a school. The 
kind of teachers determines more than anything else the quality of 
work which pupils do. 

The section on finance indicates that the tax levy for school 
purposes is comparatively low, and also that the salaries paid teach- 
ers are low. 

We have no patent remedy for the situation — no scheme of 
organization or management to suggest that will materially improve 
the work done in the schools. Consolidation is out of the ques- 
tion, except, perhaps, in a most limited way. The one thing which 
all those connected with the survey would urge is more money for 
better teachers. 

The spirit of the schools is splendid. In all the work wdiich the 
writer has done with schools he has never met a group of pupils 
and teachers Vvdio were more earnest or more enthusiastic in their 
work. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



022 166 855 8 



